Insights from the Adobe Professional Services consulant Aaron Brownlee

AIR 1.5 Cookbook

David TuckerMarco CasarioKoen De WeggheleireRich Tretola
ISBN 10: 0-596-52250-9 | ISBN 13: 9780596522506
Monday was the official print release of the O’Reilly AIR 1.5 Cookbook, which Ikezi and I worked on as technical editors. It was available at MAX for sale, but still is on pre-order in the US and UK on the O’Reilly web site. The book features examples for Flex and HTML/Javascript development of AIR applications, and covers a range of topics, from the basics to get someone started, to advanced techniques that put the power of the AIR platform to work.
The final list of chapters should enumerate the variety of skills this book can help you grasp:
1. AIR Basics
2. Application Settings
3. Application Windows
4. Screens
5. HTML Content
6. PDF Support
7. Clipboard Support
8. Drag and Drop Support
9. File System Integration
10. Embedded SQL Database Programming
11. Encrypted Local Store
12. Application and Window Native Menus
13. Taskbar and Dock Integration
14. File Types
15. Service Monitor Framework
16. Application Updates
17. AIR Application Distribution with the Browser API
18. Developing Mashup AIR Applications – online bonus chapter
On Adobe’s DevNet you can find all the resources you need to get started with AIR, including a chapter excerpt from the book. There is also a bonus chapter available through a link on the O’Reilly web site.
The code examples (which I have gone through in detail, trust me) are concise and helpful. Even if you are relatively new to ActionScript, Flex, or HTML and JavaScript, you should be able to easily follow this book and learn how to make your own AIR applications.
I enjoyed working on this, but would offer one insights to anyone thinking they want to be a technical editor. It was a lot more work than I thought it would be. However, since being a tech editor brings fame, groupies, and membership into an elite circle (the lucky few to have 3 sentences of recognition published about them in an O’Reilly book), I’d probably do it again.